the network along the streets of the canals.
Only time will tell.
“So what are you doing later?” Jaxen asks Weldon.
He leans back, tucking his hands behind his head. The smile he wears could hang the moon. “I’ve got a date,” Weldon declares smugly.
“That fast? With who?” Cassie asks, sounding thoroughly surprised. She takes another bite and stares across the table at him.
Weldon leans forward. “Well, you all have met her.” He smiles, taking his time to revel in the attention he’s drawn. “She’s blonde and blue-eyed, with lips to die for. And her voice…” He rolls his eyes in pleasure. “She’s in the broadcasting business. You see, I like my women—”
“Oh, God,” Jezi says, cutting him off with sharp laughter, “don’t tell me. It’s the woman on the screen, isn’t it? The robot.” She slaps her thighs and burst out in laughter. “This is perfect. Only you would think—”
“Unlike you,” Weldon says harshly, cutting her off, “she’s well educated.” He pulls at the collar of his uniform.
“She’s a robot,” Gavin points out.
“Yeah, well, robots deserve love too!” Weldon says in mock defense. “And she’s going to appear on my screen at nine pm sharp to go over the layout of the city and the background of each member of the Priesthood. One can’t be too prepared, and I don’t buy into the whole ‘Clara’s our ally’ thing. She can’t be trusted. Period.”
“So she’s not really a date?” I ask, choosing to ignore his comment about Clara.
“No,” Jaxen says to me. “You can’t take anything Weldon says too seriously.” He eyes Weldon down. “He’s one for jokes.”
“And on that note, I leave this dull crowd,” Weldon says, standing up. “I need to eat real food if I’m even thinking of functioning tomorrow. And get out of this stifling joke of a uniform. You couldn’t even have a bad thought in this thing without someone noticing.”
Jezi snorts at his crass remark. “Good luck with that,” she says with her arms crossed.
When he’s gone, we all look at each other. “He’s right, you know,” Gavin says. “We shouldn’t let our guard down with Clara. She’s up to something for sure. Her first official act after the day of her induction was to pull us misfits out of the pen?” He snorts and leans back in his chair. “Since when does she care what happens to us? It’s a lie.”
Jaxen turns himself enough to open up to the conversation, shifting so his leg is touching mine. His hand is face up and open, and my fingers itch to link with his.
“All I know is that Mack didn’t trust her, so neither do I,” Jezi says as she plays with a strand of her hair. “She’s always exuded the backstabbing-bitch syndrome.”
Cassie lets out a long sigh. “I just can’t believe she really did it.”
“Did what?” I ask.
“Deserted Mack for this position,” she says, shaking her head. “She’s only looking out for one person—herself. And this new position, it gives her a reach most could only dream of. Right into the politics of our Coven. The Goddess knows what she plans on doing with that.”
“We might not know what her plan is, but I think I can make an accurate guess as to why she was the one who released us,” Gavin adds in. We all look over at him. “She has enough dirt on us to hold us by the necks. I’m sure she’s going to use that to her advantage just to get us to play ball. It’s only a matter of time until her plan comes to light.”
Jaxen stiffens, and I feel his tension like static in the air before a storm. “Gavin,” he says quietly. Ghosts haunt his tone, and it makes me look over at him.
Now I’m paying full attention.
I see the alarm in his gaze. The blood drained from his face. The way his lips tighten when he looks at Gavin, quieting him from saying anything more.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, not liking the turn this conversation is taking. “What dirt?”
Jaxen turns to me at
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